December 2005 — Vol. 22, No. 12 - RC Soaring - RCSoaring.com

The Sombra Shadow 3, a compact
lightweight seven channel, crystal-less
receiver. The lower photo shows the channel
programming module in use.
From my local tool store I found some
items that make really good stocking
stuffers. These items are things that you
may not use every day but are sure nice to
have.
First there is the Coleman cordless
ColdHeat soldering tool, for $19.99. It
really works; I have already used mine.
Next there is a diamond needle file set at
$9.99.
The next item is a pick and hook set for
$3.99.
The last item, or items, is a set of four
Quick-Jaw ratchet clamps, a must for any
builder. $9.99 for a set of four.
Wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year.
Lee Murray
This summer I invested in the RAM 2
Altimeter–Data logger from Randy Brust
at Soaring Circuits
.
Jer
The unit sells for just under $100 and can
be powered from a single Li-Poly cell or
from your receiver (5 or 6 cell pack). It
comes with a receiver plug that powers the
altimeter when your receiver is on. It
doesn’t matter how many times you turn
your receiver off. Every time you turn it
on, it goes into a new flight log. The
receiver can be adjusted to keep nine hours
ColdHeat soldering iron
of data by recording once a second or for
about an hour by recording every 0.1
seconds. The latter is useful for HLG
models.
The included altimeter plot shows the
dynamics of an interesting flight I had
earlier this fall. A strong gust came
through while several fliers were soaring
in a thermal.
The gust picked up several models and
chairs on the ground and blew them down
wind. My Organic RES was up at 1095
feet when I turned to see what was
happening. Bad idea! When I looked back I
didn’t see the sailplane I was flying. A few
seconds later someone yelled, “Pull up –
Pull up!”
You can see the pull out at about 100 feet
on the plot. I continued a shallow dive but
I was getting back to the field and needed
the speed. After crossing a road, I traded
46 R/C Soaring Digest